If you’ve ever seen footage of the Japanese Empress Michiko holding an umbrella over her shoulder on a rainy day, you might find yourself in awe of how gracefully she pulls it off. If it were me you would see my arm struggling back and forth with the wind as my face grimaced in annoyance.

The fact is that even though it looks like they are holding simple plastic parasols. The Imperial House as well as politicians in Japan use specially made umbrellas from a maker with nearly 300 years of experience.